More Birds at El Rio Preserve
Nov. 3, 2024:
A wide variety of birds are attracted to the water and vegetation at El Rio Preserve. A Great Blue Heron was resting on a small "island" of tangled dead branches. It was hot that afternoon as evidenced by the heron's open beak. More grayish than true blue, the Great Blue Heron is the largest of all North American Herons.
Song Sparrows are seen throughout the United States and there are regional differences in color. The streaks on their breast often converge into a central spot. Song Sparrows are known for their propensity to sing, usually from an open spot in a variety of open habitats. https://www.birdnote.org/podcasts/birdnote-daily/song-sparrows-across-continent
Ducks are returning to their wintering home in Tucson. This female American Wigeon slowly glided into the small cove near where we sat. Wigeon's squeaky sounds are distinctive: https://tinyurl.com/y273ya6d
As the sun set, we saw a Monarch Butterfly feeding in the shadows on the water. It seemed unusual to see a butterfly at that spot so it was interesting to see it there.
The Great Egret is almost as big as the Great Blue Heron but is half the weight. The long legs allow it to wade in water in search of prey. That long S-curved neck gives it a long reach when it spots prey, and then quickly jabs forward with that neck and long bill.
The photo below was taken a few seconds before the photo above. I watched the Egret moving slowly forward while looking for fish. This shot is interesting because you can see reflections of ripples in the water on the egret's neck.
It is easy to find Vermilion Flycatchers along any field in the city. They line the edges of ball fields, golf courses, cemeteries, neighborhood parks, etc. But Vermilions also hunt in open areas in the desert as well as near open water like El Rio. Many of the insects we saw it capture were on or above the surface of the water. The Vermilion would watch from a high perch.
Spotting an insect, it would fly off to capture the insect, often returning to the same or a nearby perch
Next, a few more images from El Rio of birds with a color word in their name. Plus, I attended this weekend's All Souls Procession on Sunday. The rains kept most people away but the spirit was still present.